Outdoor sports fields and courts having hard surfaces, such as cement tennis courts, are generally not usable when wet: such ground surfaces are generally too slippery to provide acceptable playing conditions. Rain during professional sporting events can therefore be very disruptive and costly if the playing surface cannot thereafter be adequately dried in as little time as possible. Accordingly, there is a need for a device and a method to conveniently, quickly and effectively dry such ground surfaces.
In the past, such ground surfaces, and particularly hard surface tennis courts, have been dried by first removing the surface water manually using long-handled squeegees, sometimes followed by the application of absorbent materials such as towels, and by thereafter allowing the natural evaporation of the remaining moisture. Such methods are, however, cumbersome and time-consuming; adequate evaporation of the moisture can take several hours or longer in the humid, overcast conditions typically prevailing when the need for drying the ground surface arises.
A number of solutions attempting to overcome these disadvantages have been taught including those described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,298,578 to Frampton and U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,179 to Baird.
Frampton describes a method for drying a ground surface using an apparatus having a frame and, mounted on the frame, a water removal apparatus which removes water from a surface by suction and a heated air flow impinging on the surface to dry the surface. The apparatus has a frame, wheels and a handle arranged as in a convention “push” lawnmower. In one embodiment, the wheels of the apparatus are driven by a motor. However, the apparatus must be controlled and directed by an operator applying manual labour in a manner similar to that in the use of a conventional “push” lawnmower. In addition, the amount of time required to dry a ground surface area using this apparatus and method is limited by the size of the apparatus; furthermore, the size of the apparatus is limited by the need for the apparatus to be wieldy to the operator.
Baird describes a surface drying machine for drying a ground surface and, in particular, a paved race track. The apparatus has a housing containing rotating brushes for removing water from the surface and a blower for drying the surface. The apparatus has wheels. However, the apparatus is described as needing to be towed by another vehicle driven by an operator and is otherwise immobile. In addition, the amount of time required to dry a ground surface area using this apparatus and method is limited by the size of the apparatus; furthermore, the size of the apparatus is limited by the need for the apparatus to be wieldy to the towing vehicle in the space needing drying.
Both of the solutions taught by Frampton and Baird, therefore, suffer from the disadvantage that an operator must be present and manually operate the solution in order for it to work.
There is, accordingly, a need for an automatic ground surface dryer and method for automatically, conveniently, quickly and effectively drying a ground surface without the need for manual labour and which is capable of quickly drying a large ground surface.
Where appropriate, the same reference numerals are used in the drawings to indicate like features in all of the drawings.